


Captain America's Shadow

by nixajane



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Pre-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-07
Updated: 2014-07-07
Packaged: 2018-02-07 19:18:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1910670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nixajane/pseuds/nixajane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky Barnes became a weapon long before he became the Winter Soldier.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Captain America's Shadow

If the war made Steve Rogers, it un-made James Buchanan Barnes. Steve used to say that Bucky had protected him before he could protect himself, but the truth was he never stopped. Steve got stronger on the surface but he didn't change where it counted, and there were other things Bucky had to protect him from. Things he had to do, so Steve wouldn't have to. 

America knew Bucky Barnes was a hero, but that was all they knew. They never saw the darkness of war, because that would have defeated the point. So they only ever saw him laughing in those old films. He was just Bucky to them, the Captain's happy-go-lucky best friend. 

The enemy had another name for him. 

They would speak of him in whispers, to warn of the silent, efficient killer who never missed a single shot. They called him Captain America's dark shadow. He would lie down across the ground, up on some high perch, and while everyone was watching Captain America he would take them out, one by one. 

They made such a big deal about the fact that Captain America carried no weapons, just a shield, and it wasn't even true. Captain America did have a weapon. 

His name was Bucky Barnes.


End file.
